SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

R. Strauss, Salome: Soloists, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. Conductor: Jesús López Cobos. Teatro Real de Madrid. 11 and 13. 4.2010. (JMI)

New Production by the Teatro Real in co-production with Teatro Regio de Torino and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

Direction: Robert Carsen.

Sets: Radu Boruzescu.

Costumes: Miruna Boruzescu.

Lighting: Manfred Voss.

Choreography: Philippe Giraudeau.

Cast:

Salome: Nina Stemme/Annalena Persson.

Jochanaan: Wolfgang Koch/Mark S. Doss.

Herodes: Gerhard Siegel/Peter Bronder.

Herodias: Doris Soffel/Irina Mishura.

Narraboth: Tomislav Muzek.

Herodias Page: Jennifer Holloway.

First Jew: Niklas Björling Rygert.

Second Jew: Charles Dos Santos Cruz.

Third Jew: Ángel Rodríguez.

Fourth Jew: Eduardo Santamaría.

Fifth Jew: Josep Ribot.

First Nazarene: James Cresswell.

Second Nazarene: David Rubiera.

First Soldier: Pavel Kudinov.

Second Soldier: Kurt Gyesen.

A Cappadocian: Tomeu Bibiloni.

A Slave: Adela López.

Nina Stemme as Salome - Picture © Javier del Real

Richard Strauss’s masterpiece has been essentially absent from Madrid since 1986, when it was performed at the Teatro de la Zarzuela with the unforgettable artist Hildegard Behrens as Salomé. It is true that there was another set of performances during the Madrid Autumn Festival of 1995, but its quality was poor and not worthy of and great mention. After this long absence though, Salome returns to the Teatro Real exactly 100 years after its premiere there. The result is exceptional in vocal terms, provides a very positive surprise in purelly musical terms and is both interesting and controversial as a stage work.

The presence of Swedish soprano Nina Stemme as Salome was a real event for aficionados, since it was also her debut on stage in this house. Her vocal performance was as brilliant and overwhelming as might be expected from such a great singer, so much so that hardly anyone currently singing the role could match it. Powerful, homogenous, brilliant, wonderfully expressive, courageous and living the character completely, Nina Stemme was no less than a match for the best Salomes in the history of opera. She was even better than at Liceu last year and at the risk of repeating myself, she is a Salomé to be remembered for many years, at least in vocal terms, since I cannot remember any better singing than hers.

Having said that, it is good to remind ourselves that Salome - in the Bible, in Oscar Wilde and in Strauss - is a capricious adolescent, a kind of Lulu or Lolita. Robert Carsen himself conceives her this way in this production, and perhaps requires a more realistic portrayal than Nina Stemme’s. This extraordinary Swedish soprano will be 47 years next month, her figure is naturally enough more mature than a teenager’s and although she tries really hard, she is not really convincing in her portrayal of this role: Ms Stemme is not the Lolita imagined by Carsen in the first part of the opera, nor is she a credible performer in the famous Dance of the Seven Veils.

Robert Carsen had Nicola Beller Carbone at his premiere of this production in Turin, a much younger interpreter and more appropriate to his vision of the character even though vocally she is no match for Nina Stemme. Carbone’s stage performance was the big hit in that occasion. In Madrid however, Robert Carsen changed the Dance of the Seven Veils into the Dance of Seven Old Men who accompanied the protagonist and fetched up fully naked. It was short on eroticism and long on bad taste.

Without attempting to underestimate Ms. Stemme, who has all of my appreciation and admiration, Carsen would have done better to use a double in the dance, as has been done many times before. In Mainz for example, there were 15 Salome doubles who attracted great acclaim and if Carsen had done something similar, the Madrid staging would have gained a great deal and would have avoided the sonorous booing it received. Unless of course, that was Carsen’s real objective.

Otherwise the production is quite interesting. Mr. Carsen’s vision of a Lolita type of Salome in such a depraved and decadent society as today’s is perfectly appropriate. He moved the action to current times and it takes place in the security area of a luxurious hotel in Las Vegas (the desert is alwayspresent which makes great sense), which could very well be the famous Caesar's Palace, judging by the costumes of some extras. The stage is filled with safe deposit boxes, which are essential for the scene where Herod tries to convince his stepdaughter not to ask for the head of the Baptist. We are, therefore, in the basement of the Hotel-Casino, with security guards and grilles, so that we don’t miss the excited Narraboth’s view of Salome, or the Moon, so often referred to in the opera. Jochanaan is imprisoned in a big vault. The atmosphere of depravity is very well portaryed by Robert Carsen, both in regard to Herodes and Herodias, but also their guests, all of whom are very well directed. All told, this seems to me an excellent production particularly with regard to Robert Carsen does in the final monologue and his shocking end to the opera. Salome leaves for the desert with the Baptist’s head, while Herodes’ last words “Kill this woman” means the death of Herodias. I should also mention the outstanding lighting by Manfred Voss.

One of the very pleasant surprises of the evening was the musical direction by Jesús López Cobos. His reading was full of strength, tension and brilliance, dawing a great performance from his orchestra, one of the best executions from them that I can remember. While it is true that there were not too many nuances sometimes and there was too much of orchestral volume here and there, overall I found this a brilliant reading of Salome, much better than I expected.

In the second cast the new protagonist was another Swedish soprano, Annalena Persson, whose vocal performance was also good, thoough obviously far from what her compatriot had offered two days earlier. She is a full lyric soprano, a good interpreter athough tending to push her voice sometimes, which is slightly worrying. She was a little tired by the end, which is hardly surprising, and there were some flat notes in her last scene. As an interpreter of the crucial dance she was not too credible either and again, I would have appreciated a double.

The rest of the first cast deserves praise. Wolfgang Koch was an excellent Jochanaan, only a little short of amplitude at the top. Gerhard Siegel was an outstanding Herod, not simply as an actor being also as a very good singer. Doris Soffel was a most convincing Herodias, with a broad and powerful voice and fine acting, although this singer is not at her vocal zenith these days.

In the second cast, the American bass baritone Mark S. Doss was a powerfully voiced Jochanaan, somewhat tight at the top and less noble timbre than his colleague in the first cast. Peter Bronder made a good Herod, although he had too problems at the end of the opera. Irina Mishura was not more than an acceptable Herodias.

In the secondary parts, Tomislav Muzek seemed like a fairly insignificant Narraboth. This tenor was very promising some seven years ago, but not quite living up to earlier expectations. Jennifer Holloway fulfilled her task as Herodias’s Page and all the minor parts were very well covered.

The house was sold out for both days. There was a triumphant and well deserved reception for Nina Stemme, who was more than highly acclaimed. Her three cast colleagues were also cheered, as was López Cobos. The creative team was received with some applause and very sonorous booing, probably the loudest I have ever heard in this house. In the second cast, Annalena Persson and Jesús López Cobos were also cheered.

I imagine that Robert Carsen will ask himself how it is possible that he was received in triumph in Turin and booed in Madrid with the same production. It would be easy fro him simply to blame the public, but perhaps he should reconsider the reasons for these different receptions.

José M Irurzun